Cherry Hill East Students Win Congressional App Contest

CHERRY HILL, NJ — Three Cherry Hill High School East students have won the 2020 Congressional App Challenge for New Jersey’s First Congressional District, Rep. Donald Norcross announced.

Triplets Armaan, Karina and Gia Gupta created their app “Apollo” to connect young entrepreneurs on a digital platform. Their app allows novice entrepreneurs to get support and exchange advice from their peers about venture ideas. The app also has a curriculum that outlines common entrepreneurial strategies.

Their app will now be displayed in the U.S. Capitol and featured on the House of Representatives’ website at House.gov. They will be honored during the #HouseOfCode summit, which will be held virtually this spring due to the coronavirus pandemic.The Guptas’ YouTube video explaining their app can be seen below.

“I congratulate Armaan, Karina and Gia on their achievement in creating a digital marketplace for young entrepreneurs,” Norcross said. “It’s inspiring to see the next generation create such an innovative approach to connecting novice business owners. Focusing on and developing these skills at such a young age will help set the foundation for a strong future in the business venture field. I am confident these three students will be invaluable members of our community in the years to come.”

“For us, it was important to develop the app, Apollo, because there are no platforms to foster kids’ passion for entrepreneurship,” the triplets said. “Since the future generations are the future of the world, we felt that there must be a place where kids can be empowered, supported and taught the skills they need like confidence and networking which aren’t taught in school. The purpose of the app is to do just this. The app Apollo is a platform where kids can create business ventures and connect with their fellow peers to develop their ideas and gain an entrepreneurial mindset which is essential for the future. Overall, winning the Congressional App Challenge this year means so much because we are able to share our app idea and hopefully stress the importance of entrepreneurship and youth empowerment. We are so excited for what the future holds and thank you again for selecting us as the Congressional App Challenge winner.”

The annual Congressional App Challenge is a national effort to spur interest in coding, STEM and computer-science education among middle- and high-school students.